Improvement in locks for post-office boxes



- LINUS YALE,Jr. Improvement in Locks for Postjgffce''oxes ec.

Zjl'atented Oct. 24,1871.

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ITEL STATES PATENT Q EEIOE.

SILAS N. BROOKS, OF RERNARDSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ADMINISTRATOR OF LINUSYALE, JR., DEOEASED.

IMPROVEMENT IN LOCKS FOR POST-OFFICE BOXES, &c.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 120,177, dated October24, 1871.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that LINUS YALE, Jr., deceased, late of Shelburne Falls, inthe county of Franklin and State of Massachusetts, during his lifetimeinvented a new and useful Improvement in Locks, specially designed forthe doors of postoffice boxes; and I, SILAS N. BROOKS, administrator ofthe estate ofthe said LINUS YALE, Jr., deceased, do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof,sufficient to enable others skilled in the arts to understand, make, anduse the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing formingpart of this specification, in which drawing- Figure -1 is an insideview of a door of a postoftice box, havin g a lock and bolt applied,according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective View ofthe lock andbolt applied to a door.

rlhis invention relates to an improvement in locks, especially designedfor the doors of postoiiice letter-boxes; and consists of a device forlocking the door from within, whereby all access to the box from withoutis prevented, the device being such as hereinafter more fully set forth,and particularly specified in the claim.

In carrying out this invention a lock, A, is used, ofthe constructionshown in Letters Patent No. 274, of January 29,1861, or No. 48,475, ofJune 27, 1865, granted to said LINUS YALE, Jr., deceased; this isattached to the metallic door B, described in the application made byme, the same date with this, for Letters Patent for Improvement in Doorsfor Post Ofce Boxes. An

arm, a, of wire or other material, is attached to the turning` mechanismof the lock A through a slot, b, made in the casing, in which thetumblers, &c., are placed. This arm is bent at its free end and engageswith a pin, c, which is attached to a bolt,

d. The casing of this bolt is Slotted horizontallyr at e and verticallyat f, in which slots the pin c moves to push out and draw in the bolt,and to lock it when pushed Orthrown out.

The locking and unlocking of the door is accomplished by means of thisarm and pin in the following manner: The parts being in the positionShown in Figs. 1 and 2 the key is turned and the arin c is caused toInove in an arc of a circle, the slot limiting its movement, and itstrikes against the pin c and moves it back in the slot, and of coursedraws the bolt with it, thus unlocking the door. lt may be locked bySimply pushing it, or, preferably, by turning the key. If the pin c beturned up into the vertical slot f' it will be impossible for anyoutsider to unlock the door, even though he have the key. And thus, aswill appear, the postmaster will have complete control over the boxes.

As will appear, this is a very useful contrivance, as it prevents accessto the box in case of the loss of the key, or in other cases where thepostmaster may desire it. Of course the application of this device isnot limited to post-Office lock-box doors.

What I claim as the invention of said LINUS YALE, Jr., deceased, is

The combination of the pin c attached to the bolt d and operating inslots c fin the bolt-case, with the bent arm co of the lock, thecombination and arrangement being substantially as described, and forthe purpose specilied.

SILAS N. BROOKS,

Administrator.

Witnesses G. M. PLYIVIPTON, H. L. WATTENRERG. (93)

